How remove odor from interconnect?
I recently purchased a used pair of Cardas interconnects that have a strong aromatic odor. I suspect that the previous owner might have put something on the cables to cover a smell or possibly used one of those plug-in oil diffusers near the cables. I was refunded the purchase price and told to just keep the cables as he didn’t want them back. Anyway, I’ve tried washing them with isopropyl alcohol, soaking them in Dawn detergent overnight (twice), burying them in baking soda for a week, and tried to bake the smell out in a toaster oven at 180 degrees for several hours. I’m ready to just throw them out unless anyone here might have a suggestion.
Try WD40, it may remove any printing, but Cardas does somewhat impregnate their printing. If not another thing you might try, I learned this is the car business to get rid of odor in some cars. Fill a bag with fresh coffee grounds and place the cables in the bag for a week or so. Also you may call Cardas, they are great people and you never know, they might have a fix. |
@winoguy17 I noticed the smell when I opened the zip lock bag that they were sent in, but I assumed it was just temporary. I then listened to the cables and they sound fine. But when I walked into my listening room the next morning (a spare bedroom) the smell was abundant and easily traced to the cables. I placed them in the laundry room so the bedroom could air out, and then the laundry room reeked shortly thereafter. I've tried airing them out outside for days but no luck. My wife smells them just by walking by. Actually, Fabreze may be what was used on the cables and that smell will just not leave. I never liked the smell of Fabreze. The odor is similar to cologne. @carlsbad2 You're probably right, they will soon be in the trash. I will try the coffee grounds and WD40 methods and try cooking them at a higher temperature and longer and then give it up. |
Unlikely as it sounds, this is unfortunately a real thing that happened to me (with Cardas cables, like the OP's experience) not too long ago. The odor was definitively repulsive when I was close enough to the cables to connect them to my equipment. I have smelled similar odors on a couple of different used components I purchased over the years but never to the level of what I smelled on these recently purchased cables. I assumed the seller was a prolific user of cologne. Who knows, maybe he wore them around his neck to a rave? It it wasn't until I read this thread that I entertained the notion that somebody may have (purposely?) sprinkled stink on the cables. What type of weirdo would odorize their cables?!? Maybe trying to hide smoker smell? To the OP - the good news is that the odor on the cables I received has become much less over the course of a month or two, so hang in there. I didn't wash them, soak them, cook them, or bury them - just let them air out without getting too close. You might try hanging them outside on a nice breezy day. |
I'm giving @viridian 's vinegar suggestion a go. I remember years ago when I had rental properties that a previous tenant's hallway had a strong urine odor. I read that treating the area with a solution of baking soda and then later treating the same area with a solution of vinegar neutralized the smell, and it worked. I also appreciate @mitch2 's same experience, maybe we purchased from the same seller. If vinegar doesn't fix it, I'll just hang them outside or in the garage and check on them occasionally. Thanks for everyone's comments! |
I had a similar issue with power cables that smelt like crap. I cleaned the cables up as best as I could used vinegar on them and then I set them outside on a patio table during the hot summer months. Let them sit for about 3 months straight. Turned them over maybe once or twice and the sun naturally took care of the smell. |
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Hard to say without knowing what causes the smell. Smokers sometimes douse stuff in Febreeze to overpower their cigarette stench. It works, but it leaves Febreeze's own revolting scent behind. Which usually comes off pretty well with 99% isopropyl. Unscented Febreeze works just as well but does not leave any scent.
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That is so funny. In the last 60 years of Hi-Fi I have never heard about smelly nor smelled cables before last week. I thought I was the only one till I read this post. A while back I cut my Monster Speaker cables to the correct length as they were ugly coiled under the new console. I put other speakers in the rotation and those connects are midway up now cables are too short. I found some used cables and bought them. They stayed in the car till I got home. The car smelled awful. I installed them and now the house smells awful. I disconnected them and put them in the garage. I tried all the cleaning products listed above. No luck. Now I'm with yowser and will probably throw them away. What a waste, now I know why the seller sold them. |